A month ago I was working on a brand assessment for a large non-profit. In order to gain clarity and direction I made a list of all the websites I visited everyday.
First, I wrote all the websites I visit every day.
Then I wrote in one or two words what those sites are.
Finally, I wrote down why I visited all those sites.
The fascinatingly obvious insight was that I only frequent websites where I get something of great value. I do not frequently visit sites where I am primarily asked to give.
The fact that people go to a place to get is both good and bad. Bad, in that we’re selfish. Good is that the reception of knowledge is half of the means of relationship building.
This, of course, is the core insight of inbound marketing-that attracting people will perform better than paying people to go to your website. But, despite it’s popularity it is largely ignored be many market segments.
Strategy for Giving People Good Stuff
A common mistake when creating a content strategy is to talk about one’s product. While one’s website must certainly provide ample information about their product, that is a poor strategy for actually magnetizing and inbounding people.
When thinking about what content you can produce of value, think in concentric circles around your specific product. If you sell wall protection products, move out in steps and think about what do the people in your nearest market value.
For a wall protection company the progression could go from wall protection to division 10 to architects. While it may be difficult to ideate solely at your product category, your customers and clients occupy a much broader space than simply your products. Your clients will typically be interested in many different categories or products and services around your product.
Once you spend time working through the actual desires of people in your and surrounding markets, you will have a list of attractive content that will provide value to your clients.
